Leftwich was originally drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the first round (seventh overall) of the 2003 NFL Draft out of Marshall. The 6'5", 250-pound quarterback spent his first four seasons in the NFL with the Jaguars before spending a season with the Atlanta Falcons in 2007 and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2009.

The Washington D.C. native returns to the Steelers after spending three season in Pittsburgh (2008, 2010-‘11).

Leftwich has played in six games for the Steelers, as he completed 26-of-43 passes for 345 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. He has a passer rating of 101.4. He missed all of the 2011 season after suffering an arm injury during the preseason, which landed him on the Reserve/Injured list on September 2, 2011.

For his nine-year career in the NFL, Leftwich played in 55 games (49 starts) and accumulated 10,260 passing yards and 58 touchdowns with a passer rating of 79.7.